2-year-old missing for more than 32 hours found safe in nearby woods

After more than 24 hours away from her family, a toddler was found safe in Kentucky, WAVE-TV reports.

Friday afternoon, the family's dog returned home and authorities knew Charlee Campbell, 2, would be nearby.

Sure enough, Charlee was found in the woods near her house.

Officials had already combed through those woods searching for the girl since she disappeared Thursday morning.

They suspect she fell asleep and was hidden from their searches.

"The dog that was with her showed up at the house. I called the sheriff to tell the sheriff that, 'hey, we got her!' It was like Christmas! It was great. It was a great feeling," Chief Erik Butler said.

"The grandparents who have custody, I heard he fell to his knees and couldn't speak, he was so happy about it. He was really emotional. It was really emotional. It was emotional for me. We are so happy because we didn't give up hope, we didn't quit looking but hope was going way down for me," Donnie Tinnell said.

Authorities initially believed it to be a custody incident, but could not find any evidence to support that.

Charlee was found covered in mud and ticks. She was taken to the hospital to be checked out and treated.